Punish the companies that bend the labour laws

By Reader Letter -
30 May 2018 - 10:59

Parliament's labour portfolio committee is currently discussing three bills that could see significant changes in the country’s labour laws. Some trade unions are opposing these bills and have embarked on a nationwide strike to underline their viewpoint.

As of January 1 2015, major changes to temporary employment laws in South Africa kicked in. From that date, any person employed under a temporary contract for more than three months without a justifiable reason would be deemed to be an "indefinite period employee" (i.e. permanent employment) and, therefore, be protected against unfair dismissal.

South Africa has many unregistered employees, some of whom having been working as temporary workers for up to 10 years.